skiing

While it might be not-cool for a private ski resort to bar snowboarders from the ski slopes, does that change when the resort on government land? Would telling snowboarders to go elsewhere be a violation of their Constitutional rights? No — at least according to a federal appeals court. [More]

Only three ski resorts in the U.S. have outright prohibitions on snowboarding, and only one of them — Alta Ski Area in Utah — is located on public land controlled by the U.S. Forest Service. According to the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against Alta and the USFS, the resort’s ban on snowboards violates the Constitution. [More]

Paying for a ski trip can seem like a blind run down a rough slope, with formidable costs hard to avoid as you careen down the mountain. Veterans of the slopes know how to cut down on costs so they can focus on enjoying their time in the snow.

Nate at Idea Shower (responsible for the awesome Read It Later Firefox extension) has created a nifty online tool to help you narrow down your ski and snowboard destinations. Visit LiftSift.com, adjust a few sliders to set your price range, vertical rise, and location, and compare away. The data behind the service is public so that users can add new locations or make updates when lift prices change.

A reader writes in to warn that if you purchase from Cascade Toboggan, be prepared to be treated with suspicion and hostility, and to have your order canceled if you attempt to straighten things out. Michal used a fairly common spam-tracking technique when he placed an order with them earlier this month—he put their company name as part of his email and shipping addresses, so that if his information was sold, he’d be able to source the perpetrator. We’ve done this ourselves in the past, and it works. However, the owner of Cascade, Dana, says this is trademark infringement, and even after getting Michal to agree to remove the name from his personal info, canceled the order and effectively banned Michal from future business.

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